Get an authentic taste of Mexico--with a twist--on this excursion. You are invited to the home of an internationally trained chef who returned home to bring his own special flair to traditional cuisine. This personalized tour starts with a visit to the market to select the best ingredients for your meal. Return to Chef’s home to cook together before sitting down to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Choose from a morning lesson with lunch or afternoon lesson with supper
Your meal and lesson can be customized to your tastes and most diets
Make it a family affair. Children 5 and over are welcome to join
Please note there is a minimum of two adults per booking

Sample Menu

Starter

Ceviche

Citrusy ceviche made with fresh catch of the day like mahi mahi

Main

Panela enchiladas

A unique dish of rolled tortillas filled with authentic panela cheese and topped with a lettuce, tomato, radish and pickled jalapeno garnish

Main

Seafood or mushroom al ajillo

Shrimp, octopus or mushroom sautéed in a chili, garlic oil

What's Included

Private market tour and cooking class with your host Manuel
Bottled water
Local beer
All taxes, fees and handling charges
Local host

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

San Salvador 604
San Salvador 604, 5 de Diciembre, 48304 Puerto Vallarta, Jal., Mexico
Meet your host Manuel at the Mercado Cinco de Diciembre (Address: San Salvador 604 in 5 de Diciembre neighborhood.). Exact address can be found in your ticket upon booking confirmation.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible

Please note: this is not a professional cooking class, rather an experience to visit a local home to meet a local chef and share culture and cuisine together.
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 3 full days before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Rafael_Z

The experience was incredible and very authentic.Manu was very knowledgeable and very accommodating. I highly recommend this cooking course.

Reviews

5.0

138 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 138 reviews

Fun and creative

Candace_C, Aug 2023

This was a fantastic experience. I learned so much and had a really wonderful meal. I did this as a solo traveler and it was a great part of my trip. Of course, this would also be a super fun group activity.

Food artistry in the context of local ingredients

Charlie_H, Aug 2023

Manuel was a wealth of food knowledge. I especially enjoyed learning about cooking with smoked marlin and octopus; and being introduced to the range of peppers. His broad experience as a chef in a number of countries he applies to local foods and their ingredients - it is artistry! Manuel is a gracious welcoming human being without it was a pleasure to spend a part of my day.

Super Chef

Rafael_Z, Jul 2023

The experience was incredible and very authentic.Manu was very knowledgeable and very accommodating. I highly recommend this cooking course.

Amazing experience!!!

Gary_P, Jul 2023

Amazing experience! Manuel was charming, very knowledgeable and very respected by everyone in the market! He on the spot creates a customized experience that suits your taste and experience! This is only achievable if you know what you’re doing!

Master chef, market tour, and amazing food.

Brad, Jul 2023

Manu is a fantastic culinary guide and master chef. It was me, my girlfriend and her daughter. We all had a wonderful time. You start off at the open local market and he shows you how to pick your ingredients. We went with a Yellow Snapper for our main fish. Then all the fresh produce is next. I learned you pick the smaller tomatillos for the salsa verde. Finally, you go to a tortilliaria to pick up freshly made tortillas and you get to learn about the whole process they use to crank out thousands and thousands of these things. Once you are done at the market you drive do his home kitchen, meet his dog, and get to work. We started with making the salsa verde and it was good. Then we walked through the Ceviche prep and omg it was good. We ate every bite. My girlfriend's daughter doesn't like fish so next up were chicken tostadas. They were also amazing and scarfed down. Manu is just a top notch person that it was a pleasure to spend a few hours with and learn more about this counties food and culture. It really was a wonderful experience.

Amazing experience

Mike_K, Jun 2023

Manuel is an amazing culinary guide and host. The food was perfection. Will book with him again. When I come down again in February.

Unique and Delicious Experience

Joe_G, Jun 2023

This was a great experience! Manu is a warm and engaging host. He toured us around the market to pick out fresh food while answering all our questions about local life. He welcomed us into his home and made an amazing meal catered to our preferences. You won’t actually cook, but you’ll be immersed in the process.

Best of the best

JohannesR_L, Jun 2023

Manu was awesome. Very patient with our 8 and 11 year olds. Accommodated all their pallets. We had shrimp tacos and enchiladas. We just loved the food and Manu. This was one of the highlights of our trip. We will do it again. Highly recommend it.

Hands down this was my...

Deborah_C, Jun 2023

Hands down this was my favorite experience while in Puerto Vallarta. Manu was so kind and patient. His knowledge and expertise taught us things we will continue to use. We appreciate he and his wife opening their home to us. Great learning experience!

Full circle foodie experience!

Rebekah_W, May 2023

We had a memorable experience with Manuel! The market was so cool and he customized the menu to our liking. Going back to his kitchen to cook was so convenient. The ceviche and authentic enchiladas were amazing. If you are a foodie and like to cook, this is a can’t miss with Manuel.

Ultimate Mexican private culinary experience

John_P, Apr 2023

OMG! What a fantastic day! Manuel was fantastic! Very interesting tour of the local market. Reviewed all the different local fish and grades of Red Snapper. Through a tortilla manufacturer and many grades of corn that are used. Back to his private Kitchen….. learned so much about knife handling….. amazing watching him julienne the vegetable. We prepared a fabulous ceviche Made with the local snapper we picked up from the market. Made a fabulous sauce for enchiladas. Extremely delicious lunch. Learned so much about local culture.

Delicious and educational

Jessica_S, Apr 2023

Manuel was very patient with our kids (6-8), and the food was fantastic. Our tour of the market was fascinating and very memorable.

Great chef and market visit

tonybeltran, Apr 2023

Manuel is a great chef. I cook a lot but he taught me several techniques. The visit to the market with him was excellent. Highly recommend

Interesting, informative and fun

katherine_s, Mar 2023

Manuel is an engaging teacher with an emphasis on technique which we enjoyed. The ceviche and enchiladas were lovely and the recipe easily replicated. An engaging afternoon activity that we would recommend. Thanks.

Best Time Ever!!

kmkash, Feb 2023

This was one of the best and authentic Puerto Vallarta experiences. We met Manu at his home and talked for a bit before walking to the local market. Manu is truly loved at the market. We picked out our products and walked through the market while learning from Manu. We walked back to the house and watched Manu in action. We really leaned a lot about techniques and cooking tools. We had the best cerviche and enchiladas ever. I will crave them always. What a great time all around. Book this - you will love it.

A real piece of Mexico!

Leslie_M, Feb 2023

Manuel made us feel so welcome. His love of cooking is clear, along with his passion for Mexican culture and history. The tour of the market gave us an insight to local life we had never seen before. We visited our own Mexican market as soon as we got home and put some of the things we learned into practice. Thanks Manuel!

Market visit and cooking class

Joan_P, Feb 2023

It was a wonderful experience going to the market and purchasing our stuff to made. Mano was very personable and taught us lots about knife skills and cooking . Do not miss the market visit .

Best Cooking Class EVER!!

Trenna_L, Jan 2023

What an amazing experience! Manu was the best and most gracious host. The market and his commentary were perfect. We picked the menu and he even emailed us the recipes. I would highly recommend this for any level of cook!!

Great food and cooking lesson with a local chef in the privacy and comfort of his home.

geoff_g, Dec 2022

Manu is a a great cook and host. Our son basically designed our menu with Manu and we walked to the local fish and vegetable market to get our ingredients and then back to his casa to begin preparation. It was really informative and casual and the food was amazing. We had Parrot fish Ceviche and burritos with shrimp and smoked Marlin along with freshly made salsa. It was a great experience and we highly recommend this experience on your visit to PV.

Learned some, paid more...

Donald_O, Dec 2022

Manuel is a very entertaining, knowledgeable and personable chef. Going to the market and bringing home fresh food is always fun and we did learn how to properly make ceviche and enchilada sauce (not the 3 dishes that were promised). That said, we were a group of 6 and for the collective price paid for the session we would have expected a few more dishes, a few more drinks (we had to ask for a beer), a little dessert. We have no doubt Manuel is capable of delivering value at this price point, but we did not see it on our visit. Hope the feedback is useful.

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